#Chip prices doubling
24 messages in this thread
I recently set out to buy some ram for a 3000. I called a dealer to
ask about the price of this ram and he did not want to quote me a price. He
said that the chip prices will be doubling or most certainly rising
significantly. He said this was do to some problem at Asian manufacturers.
This is news to me. What gives?
This could explain why the local CompUSA store isn't selling any ram
seperately, only with a computer purchase.
Julius via AutoPilot
I read recently that the US was putting a 10% to 20% tarif on chips
produced in Korea. The verdict was still out whether the Korean suppliers
would eat the cost or pass them on, my guess is the latter. Even though
this appears limited to Korea (from the article that I read) and not a
huge increase you can bet that all chip suppliers will increase their
prices and blame it on this occurrance (remember how the oil companies
work 🙁
Bill
the dumping penalty against korean dram producers has served (typically) as
an excuse by all memory manufacturers to create a non-existent shortage to
jack up the price and GOUGE the market even worse than they already do. I
guess they figure if they can't drive poor old Micron Technology (the mem
maker which instigated the dumping penalty) out of business by…
monopolistic predatory pricing practises, they'll just make everybody pay
through the nose. The 10-20% penalty is absolutely NO excuse for what has
happened as all the asian manufacturers decided to stop shipping entirely –
or else all the american suppliers who have mem on hand are causing the
shortage themselves and blaming the asian mfrs. Whoever's responsible,
this is a big mess and will likely last at least 135 days – the period of
the dumping penalty until it is re-examined by the US Trade Commission
offices (Carla Hill's office, I believe). Write your (very helpful I'm
sure now that they've just gotten elected and don't care again for two
years) Congress Person. What a mess.
The tarrifs range anywhere from 6% to a whopping 87% depending on the
manufacturer, with the largest manufacturer getting the 87%.
Dean
DKB Software
There have been tariffs placed on electronic goods from Korea and the rest
of the electronic industry importing from Asia is taking advantage of this
and is increasing there margins. Sad, isn't it?
-Jonathan
I just had to cough up an extra $50 for 4MB RAM for a 386-40 system we
just purchased, so the tariff that the US has imposed is being passed on
to the consumer.
I just called Memory World and they are selling 1x4x80ns ZIPs for $19.95.
This is up $3/chip from 4 months ago, and they said that they were unsure
if the RAM chips were going to go up further.
(OUCH! I guess I'm, going to have to get some more RAM NOW.)
Let's hear it for protectionism! It's what made America great!
Erik Flom
Boy, Pople just DON'T learn from history. How did we beat the Japs and
Nazis in WW II? MORE and BETTER. Instead of Tarriffs, the US should
convert some of the idel defense industry to chip making and subsize
MASSIVE dumping all over the world. Then when the b#@tards go down the
tubes, jack the price sky high until the government subsidies are paid
back to the general fund. And don't negotiate or be nice guy. When they
complain just say, "f— you, pal!" and keep pouring it on until they
straighten out or go under. This is WAR! It is time to treat it like
one! Full industrial and propaganda mobilization. It is a war that
should be fought in the trade an economic arena NOW so it won't be fought
with guns an bullets ten years from now.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Whoa, Wayne, It's time to quit the stimulants! None of that is
going to change American price gouging. What are you going to do for that?
Please, don't say firing squads.
Michael
Windfall Profits Tax – to help pay for Mr. Clinton's econmic program!
(Actually it'll be just like other programs – just something someone can
point to in 4 years to say, "…and I spent x bazillion dollars on…."
or " I signed a bill to…" wihout any analysis as to whether certain
measuabel results were gained by the bucks or bills.)
See, everyone complains, no one acts. If everyone quit buying chips until
they were reasonably priced, the sellers would not be any better off.
But they have the buying public where they want them – like deer in
headlights. People who participate in the gouging shouldn't complain
whether as purchasers or sellers. After all, if one side refuses to
participate, the gouge can't happen.
As far as foreign competition is concerned, the unions and managers want
to moan about unfair trade policies. And it ain't true. The average
Japanese spends about 33% more a year on american goods than his American
counterpart spends on Japanese goods. Remember the Yugo? Korean cars
that failed – big time for the wame reason American cars have been failing
– poor quality, poor support. If you can't make it in any business it's
because you are not willing to do what it takes to make it work. Americans
are getting middle aged and want to back off and smell the daisys. The
Asians want to succeed in business. But the Americans, because they are
Americans expect the rest of the world not to surpass them out of shere
respect, it seems. If you want to take a pit stop in the race to
tomorrow, don't wine if the #2 car passes you.
And in point of fact I don't care, really (except that we are in the exact
analog of souring relations with Japan that happened before WW II except
instead of race and politics it is now about markets). I just tossed it
out since no one else seems to have thought about just goin out and
competein – no holds barred. Then I saw on the news today some union guys
with signs in front of a Japanese care dealership promoting the same
<continued>
thoughts. Any time I find myself on the same sid of an issue as a union
its time for a full medical – must be sick!!! ;^}
BTW, you couldn't hear the tone of my typing – it was a parody of the
George C. Scott Patton speech tone – you know the one: "Your not here to
die for you country. You here the make the other poor b#$tard die for
his!"
wmc – via Autopilot!
You know the thing that bugs me is that good ole Micron Technology filed
the complaint about the RAM dumping, just like they did back a couple of
years ago during the DRAM fiasco. If they didn't spend all their time as
cry babies and started trying to compete, then maybe they could make a go
of it. Protectionism does NOTHING to help the American consumer and in the
long run hurts us more than it helps.
John – K7KB (Flying via AutoPilot)
"Protectionism does NOTHING to help the American consumer and in thelong
run hurts us more than it helps."
And the government does precious little to help the individual. Big
business and unions seem to own most of the government. The other parts
consider themselves seperate from and lords of the people.
Here's on for you. Starting 1/1/93 if you are in a company retirement
fund and say get laid off. Yur comapny "cashes you out" of the retirement
fund by giving you a check. They have to retain 20% as a withholding tax.
You then, within a day of recieving the check deposit it in a rollover
IRA. The govenemt then says that 80% was income to you. You must pay
taxes on it including a 10% early withdrawal penalty. Then youapply to
get the witholding back, they call THAT income as well, take anothe 10%
penalty plus withholding. And it was in transit between your company fund
and an IRA through your hands for one day. They figured that since
unemployment is expected to ot to 10% next year that they will make 20
billion on this little scheme. The onlywayto avoid it is to set up a
conduit IRA between employers and have your former employer do a trustee
to trustee transfer of funds. However, the law does n ot require any
institution to accept such a transfer. You loose. You can no longer use
eary withdrawal for catastrophic illness or to protect a residnece (as in
to paya mortage when you've been out opf work for over 6 months and
exhauseted all unemployment) without as much as 25% penalty.
This wonderful law was brouht to you by those compassionate people who now
own the white house and congress.
Better keep the vaseline and preparation H handy for the next four years.
I think at the end of it most of us will feel like partice dummies at the
proctologist college.
wmc – via Autopilot!
"How did we beat the Japs and Nazis in WW II? MORE and BETTER."
Not just more and better – you had help from small countries like mine
(Australia). Now we're being screwed by your country dumping into our
markets under the "Export Enhancement Program"! You forget that in real
life shootouts innocent people get hurt. Come out of your "Make My Day!"
fantasy, Wayne. World Trade is a complex problem and I can't believe you,
or your people, are as simplistic as you sound.
I'm not serious – just amusing myself. I'm having fun with people who
only want to blame the rest of the world for American's conceit. They
think that no one else can work hard and win. We took a little twenty
year rest, graduated boatloads of lawyers and MBA's a handful of
scientists and engineers, then proceeded to litigate, spreadsheet and
regulate our way out of competitevness.
As for your country, (no disrespect intended) I would have thought after
Viet Nam, they would have know better. 'Sides – you are a democracy.
Vote the boobs who pushed that policy through government channels right
out of office.
Now, don't get too ani-Amerian; After slick Willy runs my taxes through
the roof I just might be moving to Australia. Got a lot of freinds there
and I really like Melbourne. Its really nice (at least it was last time I
was there – '86) and the people from there that I know have a general
sense fo self-reliance and "can-do" -ism that Americans have lost.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Hey Wayne, I'm definitely not anti-American. And you're welcome here
anytime. Melbourne is still a pretty good place to live, despite the
recession. If you're ever here, look me up and we can commiserate on the
subject of politicians.
Wayne,
Thank goodness Clinton won the election!!! By a landslide, I might
add!
You must be a disgruntled Republican. 😎
Dom Fontana
<– Sent from New York via AutoPilot –>
Dom… I am also pleased with the election results, but I would not
charchterize a presidents election by far less than a majority of the
popular vote as a 'landslide'. The election results clearly underline our
disgust as a nation with the current state of politics and politicians.
When was the last time ANY of us were truly able to vote FOR a candidate
rather than AGAINST one?
I would agree with your sentiments – tho' maybe not quite as rabidly as
you expressed them. :^)
I really think protectionism is counter-productive in a world economy,
but then again, so are subsidies.
Keep On Toastin'
Erik Flom
Erik,
I'm really parodying on the other side of the issue from the whiners. Our
world trade situation is largely of our own making. The fix will be
largely of our own making if willing to put in the effort. My sense is
that America is passing from the vitality of youth to mellowness of middle
age. But we are like L.T. and Joe Montana – facing the end, someone else
will be taking our place. Nothin wrong with it. Just up to us to find
different but equally valued goals if we don't want ot compete with the
younger nations in trade anymore.
Personally, I think we should take leadership in charity and human
oneness. Instead of paying farmers to keep land out of production, pay
them by volume for for the excess and create the "Relief Force" from the
downsized military. It would then secure delivery routes, make and secure
delivery of relief supplies to famine and war ravaged populations. When
stability returns to any area, they will not forget. The U.S. could pay
its U.N. dues off in these types of "delivery services". My sense is that
the best economic policy is to plant seeds of stability with humanitarian
assistance, and education.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Wayne,
PMFJI, but I have to complement you on a perceptive and profound
observation. Too many people have the "US vs. THEM" mentality and assume
the United States will always maintain its dominance economically and
politically. We can't go on ignoring the fact that things _do_ change. We
have to look in new directions to take the lead, as you suggest.
Bob (stepping off my soapbox)
Wayne,
I bet you never knew that your observations were perceptive and
profound. 😉
Dom Fontana
<– Sent from New York via AutoPilot –>
Gosh, my apologies for mis-reading your previous comments.
(I DID miss the Patton-like tone :^)
I too believe that we (the U.S.) are primarily responsible for our own
current economic and global position. Just whining about the fact that
others are passing us (as too many people in the U.S. do) won't fix the
problem.
As for taking the lead in charity and human oneness (the moral high ground
– as it were). I'd like to see some of that charity and oneness applied to
our own country. As someone once said
"Can't we all just get along?"
I have heard it said that we won the cold war –
Their economy collapsed before ours did, if only just before . . .
The question now is what we will do with this 'new world order'.
At least I am personally heartened by the fact that for the first time in
my voting lifetime (10 years), there is a leader in office who I actually
voted for! :^)
Now, to see if he will truly break the curse of 'politics as usual'.
Keep On Toastin'
Erik Flom
Well, the 4 Megabit RAM prices are rising now that EVERYONE wants them for
their Windoze machines. (486/33, 16 MB RAM, 130MB HD, running WINDOZE's
most popular application — SOLITAIRE)
// Brian — Cruising on AutoPilot…..
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